Wedding Bells
by Potion Master
Summary: Set 2 years after the end of Girl in my Arms. A happy-sappy three-way romance.
1. Chapter 1

It was a bright summer's day and Bella, Remus and Severus were stretched out on a rug next to a calm lake enjoying the sunshine. The only things which spoilt this picture of carefree relaxation were the heaps of magazines and parchments that surrounded them.

*Do we really need all of this?* Remus asked as he ducked a pile of magazines that Bella had just summoned without even glancing up from her notepad.

Severus looked up from the parchment on which he had been recording a long list of names as Bella dictated them to him. *We routinely organise the lives of several hundred children and not too long ago we defeated the greatest dark wizard to arise in centuries – after that you'd think a wedding would be easy!* he grumbled.

*If we're going to do this, then we're going to do it right!* Bella declared. *Besides it could be worse – we could have family!*

The three of them shuddered simultaneously, remembering the chaos that Megan and Filius' families had caused at their wedding only a few months earlier. 

*It's a wonder the church is still standing!* Remus commented. *At least we know where Megan gets her temper now though.*

*OK, enough. We need to stop discussing their wedding and start organising ours,* Bella declared. *Now, we've sorted out the outfits and the ceremony so we just need to agree on the other participants and the guests. We need someone to officiate, an attendant each, four representatives of the elements, and … No I think that's everything actually.* 

*Well, let's start with the celebrant,* Severus thought. They looked at one another and then all thought the same name. 

*Albus.*

*OK. That was easy. What do we need next, Bella?* Remus asked.

*We all need an attendant to stand up with us, tell everyone how wonderful we are, and pass over the rings and such at the appropriate moments. I'm going to ask Megan,* she informed them.

*If you didn't, I would,* Severus thought. *However, since she can't do two things at once, I'll ask Minerva instead.*

*I choose Sirius,* Remus added, glaring at his future husband when he groaned. *Play nice, Sev.*

*I read somewhere that one of the traditional sacrifices to Hecate is a black dog,* Severus thought casually and then ducked as both his lovers threw cushions at him. *I was joking. And people say **I don't have a sense of humour! You two are taking this far too seriously.***

*You think I'm taking the most important day of my life too seriously?* Bella queried. Her voice deceptively calm as she slowly and clearly enunciated each word.

*No,* Severus denied hurriedly. *No, of course not! I just … That is I …. So what else do we need to decide on?*

*We need to choose someone to represent each of the four elements. Water for emotions, fire for spirit, air for mind and earth for body. I suggest we have Filius to represent water and then each choose one of the others.* Remus and Severus both nodded in agreement.

*We could ask Rolanda Hooch to take the role of earth,* Severus suggested.

*I want to ask Harry to represent fire, but I don't know how he'll react when he discovers we're holding it at Samhain,* Remus said.

*I'm sure he'll be OK about it,* Bella thought. *Why don't you go and stay with Sirius and him for a few days and discuss it with them. Then while you're doing that, Severus can talk to Albus, Minerva and Rolanda and I'll visit Megan and Filius. I want to ask Hermione to take the final position if the two of you agree.*

*I'm sure she'll be delighted,* Severus thought. *Now let's see if we can come up with the first draft at least of a guest list.*

*Ugh, no, let's not.,* Bella sighed. *We've been at it for two hours now and that's enough wedding talk for one day even for me! I need to blow away some of the cobwebs with a nice long flight. Do you two want to come or are you both going to disappear into the study or the laboratory with your respective summer projects?*

*A flight sounds like fun,* Remus thought. *Sev?*

*Why not?*

Bella put two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly, causing both men to jump. Two house elves immediately came scurrying out of the house and across the lawn.

"You is wanting us, ma'am?" one of them asked.

=I need you to take these things back to the library for me. We're going for a flight. We'll be back in time for dinner,= Bella signed.

"Very good, ma'am," the second elf answered. "Is you having any special requests for dinner, ma'am? Sirs?"

"There is being a full moon tomorrow, so we is thinking a nice steak for Master Remus," the first elf added.

=Steak sounds great, Tibby,= Bella answered. =Sev and I will have salad with ours, Remus probably won't!=

"Very good, ma'am," Tibby said nodding his head. As the two house elves gathered the things together, Bella, Severus and Remus summoned their brooms and took off.

Remus apparated into an alleyway in central London and headed for the expensive looking apartment block opposite. He was stopped in the lobby by a smart-looking security guard seated behind an imposing reception desk.

"Can I help you, sir?" the guard asked.

"My name is Remus Lupin. I'm here to see Sirius Black. He's expecting me," Remus said.

"Very good sir. I'll just call up for you. Won't keep you long," the guard said professionally. He dialled a number and waited for a moment. "Ah good afternoon sir. I've got a visitor here for you, says he's expected." The guard paused. "Yes that's right sir." Another pause. "Very good sir." He replaced the receiver and looked up again. "You can go up, sir. It's the …"

"Top floor," Remus interrupted. "I know. Thank you." He headed for the lift and hit the button for the penthouse. When the doors opened again he was practically dragged from the lift by the young man who was waiting for him.

"Remus," Harry exclaimed, hugging him. "How are you? We've missed you. How long are you staying? Did Sirius tell you he's asked Bill to move in?"

"Harry, Harry, calm down," he laughed, disentangling himself from the enthusiastic young man. "One question at a time. I'm fine. I've missed you too. About a week and no, but it's about bloody time!"

The two of them crossed the landing and Harry pushed open the front door to the apartment.

"Sirius!" Harry called. "He's here."

A tall, dark-haired man emerged from one of the bedrooms. "Yes, Harry, I know. I was the one that told you. Unlike you however[,] I had the patience to wait for him to get into the flat to greet him." Sirius shook his head in amusement at his godson's antics. "It's good to see you Moony," he said, pulling the other man into a brief hug. "Make yourself at home. I'll just put your bags in your usual room." He took the magically shrunk bags from Remus and left the room.

"Come and sit down, Harry," Remus said. "I need to talk to you and Sirius about something."

Harry followed Remus over to one of the comfortable leather couches and sat next to him.

"Is everyone OK?" he asked.

"Everything's fine," Remus answered, waiting for Sirius to come back and sit down before he continued. "We're getting married."

"Wow – you can do that?" Harry asked. "I mean there's three of you. How is that possible?"

"Yes[,] we can do that," Remus answered." "It's not terribly common so Bella's been adapting one of the more traditional commitment services, but it is possible."

"That's brilliant," Harry exclaimed. "Congratulations."

"Yes, congratulations, Moony," Sirius said. "Have you set a date yet?"

"Actually yes. We thought Samhain," Remus said, watching Sirius' reaction. A look of surprise crossed his face, followed immediately by one of comprehension.

"I think they'd like that," he said softly.

"Um, I don't want to sound stupid or anything, but what's Samhain?" Harry asked.

"One of the pagan celebrations," Remus answered. "Halloween."

"Oh," Harry looked at the floor for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. "Sirius' is right. Mum and Dad would appreciate the idea of making some good memories to drown out the bad ones."  
"I'm glad, because we want you both to be a part of the ceremony. Severus' is asking Albus to officiate, but we each need an attendant and we need four people to represent the four elements and give the blessings." At Harry's confused look Remus continued to explain. "In many pagan rituals it's common to invoke the spirits of the four elements and ask for their blessing. Each element needs a representative to ask certain questions and then give their blessing. I'll get Bella to owl you the details; she's got it all worked out. We want you to take the role of fire in the ceremony."

"Yes, of course. I'd love to. I have no idea what I'm agreeing to, but I'd love to be a part of it," Harry agreed immediately.

Remus looked over at Sirius. "Would you be my attendant?" he asked.

Sirius inhaled sharply and blinked a couple of times in surprise. "I'd be honoured," he said simply.

Remus looked at him in astonishment, "I don't believe you're shocked that I'd ask you!"

Sirius shrugged diffidently, "Well, I'm not exactly a fan of one of your fiancés and I know the feeling's mutual."  
"The pair of you tolerate one another well enough now. In fact, I'm fairly confident that you'll even start being pleasant to one another at some point in the next fifty years or so," Remus said with a grin. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather have stand up with me, although I may regret that when you get to make your speech!"

Harry cleared his throat, "Not to break up the mutual admiration society the two of you have going on over there, but who else is involved? And where are you having it? Tell us all the details," he demanded.

"OK, OK," Remus laughed. "Well, it's going to go something like this …."

"Severus, my dear boy! I wasn't expecting to see you back here this early in the holidays," Albus exclaimed.

"There's something you don't know?" Severus queried, feigning shock. "My, my, I believe the Earth just tilted on its axis!"

Albus brushed off the sarcasm and continued as if his Potions Master hadn't spoken, "Will you join Minerva and myself for tea? I'm sure you have lots to tell us."

Severus smiled ruefully and shook his head, "And there it is," he murmured under his breath. Raising his voice he asked, "Are you sure you're not actually omniscient, Albus? Because if you are I could just save my breath and let you tell Minerva!"

"Omniscience doesn't come into it, dear boy. I simply know you and I know you wouldn't have dragged yourself away from the New Forest more than a month before the start of term unless you had something important to tell me."

He led the way up to his office, where Minerva was waiting for him.

"Minerva, look who I found downstairs," he said.

"Severus!" she exclaimed. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"Well it's nice to know I've shaken off my reputation of being as much a part of the castle as the ghosts!" he said. "Albus asked the exact same thing. I'll tell you both over tea."

When they were all comfortably settled with a cup of tea each Severus told them his news. "Remus, Bella and I have decided to get married."

"Oh that's wonderful!" Minerva said. "I'm so happy for you."

"And so am I," Albus added. "Do you have any idea what sort of ceremony you're going to have?"

"Bella's been in a planning frenzy for the last couple of weeks. I expect she'll be owling everyone with the details in the near future. She'll certainly need to send you some information since we'd like you to perform the ceremony," he said.

For a fraction of a second Severus thought he'd achieved his life's ambition and rendered the Headmaster speechless but he was soon proved wrong.

"I'd be delighted. Just tell me when and where. I haven't performed a wedding in a long time and nothing would give me more pleasure," he said.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Severus replied. "It will be on the evening of Samhain, in a woodland glade on Bella' estate. Minerva, would you act as my attendant?"

Minerva flushed pink with pleasure, "I would love to, Severus. Thank you for asking me."

Severus put his tea down. "Do either of you know where I might find Rolanda? I have to ask her to represent earth during the ceremony and much as I enjoy your company, I'd quite like to get back to the New Forest tonight."

Bella apparated into the foyer of a building that had seen better days. A couple of young wizards in robes nearly ran into her.

"I say, terribly sorry and all that!" one of them said. He moved to walk around her but she grabbed his arm.

=Can you help me? I'm looking for Miss Granger's room, = she signed.

"Gosh, I'm not very good at that sort of thing. Sign language and that. Slight communication problem, what? I say, Peregrine old thing, come and give a chap a hand here?"

A tall blonde wizard with a white silk scarf draped around his neck strolled over and Bella repeated her query.

"Granger? Is that the new girl? Frizzy hair and an absolute menace of a cat?" he asked. Bella indicated that he was probably right, so he continued. "Second floor, third room on the left."

As she headed up the stairs she heard him remark to his friend, "I say, move along there, Eustace, we'll be dashed late for the Prof. Mulligan's Theoretical Arithmancy class if we don't run!"

She followed his directions and quickly found Hermione's room. She knocked on the door. A muffled voice came from within, "Just a minute!" This was followed by a loud crash. "Damn it Crookshanks, get out of my way you flea-bitten waste of space!"

The door was wrenched open. "What do you want?" a very harried looking Hermione demanded before realising exactly who her visitor was. "Oh I'm sorry, Professor Pettigrew. Would you like to come in?"

Bella looked over Hermione's shoulder. The small study-bedroom beyond looked like it had been hit by a hurricane – possibly more than one.

=I'll tell you what, why don't I take you out for a drink. You look like you could do with a break from your … um … unpacking? And you're no longer my student Hermione, so please call me Bella. = she signed.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder and blushed. "It does look a bit of a mess, doesn't it? Prof … I mean Bella. I was trying to unpack when I came across an interesting article in this month's 'Magical Review' and then I tripped over Crookshanks when I was trying to answer the door and I think I knocked a couple of piles of books over." She grabbed her handbag and slammed the door shut, casting a couple of wards to keep out unwanted visitors. They left the building and headed for a local pub, chatting about neutral subjects such as Hermione's new job as a research assistant to one of the professors at Merlin college and her foppish neighbours.

Once they were settled at a discreet corner table in the pub, drinks in hand, Hermione asked Bella what she wanted.

"I mean, I assume you weren't just ' in the neighbourhood'," she said.

=I'm getting married and I want you to take part in the ceremony, = Bella signed.

Hermione squealed in delight and then blushed when she realised several of the other customers were staring at her. "That's wonderful, I'm so happy for you. What do you want me to do?"

=We're having a ceremony dedicated to Hecate and we want you to give the blessing of the Air element. =

"I'd love to. I've never been to a proper wizarding wedding though. What exactly happens?" she asked.

Bella pulled a roll of parchment from her robes. =Order of Service, = she signed passing it over to Hermione. =We've had to adapt one of the more traditional ceremonies slightly because triad weddings are so rare but I think it's all self-explanatory. Look, I hate to make this such a short visit but I promised Sev I'd try and get back tonight and I still have to visit Megan and Filius. See if you can come down and visit before the term starts and we can discuss anything you're unsure about. Besides I'm sure Remus would love to see you. =

"I'll see what I can do. It was nice to see you again … Bella," she answered, hesitating over her ex-professor's name.

=You too, Hermione, = Bella signed getting up. Looking around to see she wasn't in anyone's way, she smiled at Hermione and then disapparated.

The ceremony was less than an hour away and Bella was nervous. Actually to be fair, she'd skipped nervous about three hours ago and by now she was well on her way to panicked. Megan had checked, double-checked and triple-checked all the preparations; she had supplied soothing tea and 'sisterly' advice, and had pretty much reached the end of her tether.

"All right, I have had enough. Sit down and take some deep breaths Bella. Everyone knows their lines; none of the attendants are going to lose the rings and no-one's going to trip over their robes. This wedding has been organised to within an inch of its life and nothing is going to go wrong. Short of a devastating comet strike causing a tidal wave to wipe out Hampshire, there is no contingency for which we have not planned. Now stop fussing and concentrate on the fact that in a couple of hours time you're going to be a happily married woman before I turn you in to the first ever happily married hamster!" Megan instructed. 

Bella sat down and stared at her. =As my attendant aren't you supposed to be supportive? I feel like one of your third-years! = she complained.

"I've **been supportive, currently I'm wondering if Sirius and Minerva are having the same problems!"**

=Sirius won't be. Remus doesn't worry about anything, ever. If he is by some strange chance feeling nervous then he's probably meditating. I have a sneaking suspicion Sev might be a tiny bit nervous though. =

In another wing of the house Remus was sitting on a bed, cross-legged, eyes shut, running through some soothing deep breathing exercises. Sirius was staring at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"After everything you've been through, I can't believe you're getting nervous about a little thing like a wedding!" he said, shaking his head in wonder.

Remus opened one eye and looked at him, "I'm going to remember that you said that when it's your turn!" 

"I'm not getting married," Sirius declared.

"Uh-huh, has anyone told Molly that? Because she's been flicking through Bella's wedding magazines with a very determined glint in her eye," he said.

"Oh Merlin," Sirius groaned. "I can see it now. Bill and I squeezed into damned uncomfortable looking dress robes and hundreds of redheaded Weasley cousins running around causing havoc. Not to mention Fred and George and their limitless stock of practical jokes! Do me a favour – if it ever looks like happening, cover for us while we elope?"

In yet another wing Severus was pacing distractedly. "Explain to me why we can't all wait together?" he demanded.

"Because Megan, Sirius and I didn't want to have to explain to Albus or your guests that you were all going to be late for your own wedding because you were having steamy sex in the shower when you were supposed to be dressing," Minerva answered, fixing him with her sternest glare.

"Honestly Minerva, we were slightly late for one rehearsal and the three of you carry on as if we can't be in the same room as one another without ripping each other's clothes off!" he complained.

"You were three hours late, Severus and we weren't willing to take the risk! Now would you please stop pacing before you wear a groove in the floor."

"I'm not pacing," he argued. "I don't pace. I am simply moving about the room in a purposeful manner while waiting for you to decide that it's time for us to leave."

"Whatever you call it, could you please stop doing it, it's very irritating. Besides it's time to go, thank Merlin."


	2. Chapter 2

The ceremony was to take place in a glade surrounded by Yew trees in the grounds of the estate. A dirt track ran across the glade and divided into two in its centre forming a three-way crossroads. Bella's family had used it for rituals dedicated to Hecate since they first settled on the land several thousand years earlier. The branches of the trees arched towards one another overhead, not meeting, but creating an atmosphere as hushed and spiritual as any muggle cathedral. A stone altar had been erected at the crossroads. Laid on it were a golden chalice, three carved candles in black, red and white, in simple metal holders, along with a taper to light them, a wooden chest containing three silk ribbons, a smaller golden chest and a small ornamental knife. Albus stood behind the altar in grey robes, which shimmered in the light, and his long white hair cascaded around him. The lights that danced across his face came from hundreds of tiny golden fairy lights (actual fairies, coaxed into position by Filius earlier that evening), which hung in the air around the grove. The guests, dressed in robes of all colours and styles, formed a circle around the grove as they awaited the three participants and their attendants. The four representatives of the elements marked the four cardinal directions. At the westernmost point stood Filius Flitwick, dressed in robes coloured a deep blue shade, which seemed to draw the eye in and created an almost wave-like effect as he moved. At his feet lay a small earthenware jug filled with water and a plain stone bowl. Directly opposite him was Hermione. Her robes were a pale silvery blue which made her look almost unearthly and her hair was piled elegantly on top of her head. She held a censor in her hands, which billowed gentle tendrils of smoke as it swayed. At the northernmost station stood Rolanda Hooch.  Her robes were a rich terracotta colour, which brought to mind freshly turned earth. In her hands was a small wooden box, filled with earth. Opposite her was Harry. His robes were a vibrant orange-red to represent fire and he held a bright yellow candle that had yet to be lit. He wore an expression of intense concentration as he silently mouthed the lines that would form his part of the ceremony. There was a gap in the circle near to Hermione through which Bella, Remus and Severus would enter along with their attendants. They were entering from the East to symbolise the beginning to the next stage of their lives together that would happen tonight. After they had entered, the circle would close behind them and the ceremony would begin.

The witches and wizards, who had been invited to attend this ceremony, including representatives from each House and year at Hogwarts, were chatting quietly as they waited for the service to begin. A hush descended on the circle and they turned as one to the east as the final participants emerged from the trees. Bella was dressed in ivory robes, made of silk, which hugged her figure and rustled gently as she moved. Remus' robes were a deep red, made from a slightly heavier material, which draped across his slender frame like a second skin. Severus wore heavy black robes, which billowed dramatically as he moved. Their attendants walked a step or two behind them and wore green. The six friends entered the circle and it closed behind them. They approached the altar and then waited for Albus to start the ritual. Albus spoke quietly but reverently, his voice carrying to every member of the circle in the still atmosphere of the sacred glade.

"The Circle is cast. Let the four directions be honoured that power and radiance might enter our circle for the good of all beings."

Rolanda's voice rang out first, "With the blessing of the great bear of the starry heavens and the deep and fruitful earth, we call upon the powers of the North." As she spoke she scattered the earth she held and then placed the box on the ground in front of her.

Harry was next, his voice not as confident as Rolanda's had been, but its words caused a stirring in the hearts of anyone who had seen James in his animagus form, "With the blessing of the great stag in the heat of the chase and the inner fire of the sun, we call upon the powers of the South." He lit the candle he held and then gently put it on the ground in front of him.

Filius' high-pitched voice rang out next, "With the blessing of the salmon of wisdom who dwells within the sacred waters of the pool, we call upon the powers of the West." He bent down and poured water from the jug into the bowl before resuming his original position.

Finally Hermione spoke," With the blessing of the hawk of dawn soaring in the clear pure air, we call upon the powers of the East." She swung the censor a couple of times and then placed it on the ground at her feet.

Albus spoke again, "May the harmony of our circle be complete."

He nodded slightly to the nervous threesome standing before him and then the seven witches and wizards within the circle spoke as one. 

"We pray to the Threefold Goddess to protect the ones we love.   
We honour all that you created as we pledge our hearts and lives together. We honour earth - and ask for our marriage to be abundant and grow stronger through the seasons; We honour fire - and ask that our union be warm and glowing with love in our hearts; We honour wind - and ask we sail though life safe and calm as in our father's arms; We honour water - to clean and soothe our relationship - that it may never thirst for love; With all the forces of the universe you created, we pray for harmony and true happiness as we forever grow young together. Amen."

Bella had cast the scriptus spell before they began and the words hung in the air for all to read; her voice ringing out loud and clear inside her lovers' heads. As the prayer was spoken, the three of them reached out to touch one another, almost instinctively, although it formed no part of the ceremony. Megan's eyes had locked with those of her husband as she spoke the words of the prayer and had anyone been watching him, they would have seen Sirius glance across at Bill Weasley and smile. All eyes however were on the three in the centre of the circle as they began the ritual that would join them together in the eyes of the wizarding world for all time.

Albus held his hand over Bella's head, "Who stands for this woman?"

Megan stepped forward, "I do."

"What is the worth of this woman?" he questioned.

"Her worth is beyond words. She is the strongest person I know. She is kind and gentle but will fight for what she believes with a passion that inspires those who see it. She laughs and loves more intensely that anyone I have ever met and I love her as the sister I never had," Megan answered, her hand on Bella's shoulder. Bella reached up briefly to squeeze it before Megan stepped back and Albus continued. Holding his hand over Remus' head he asked again, "Who stands for this man?"

This time Sirius stepped forwards. "I do."

"What is the worth of this man?"

"His worth is beyond words. He carries within him a great power but has always shown a gentle and caring face to the world.  He has an open mind and greets new challenges with a steely determination. He is brave without being foolhardy and trusting without being blind. He has a generous and forgiving nature and I am proud to call him friend. " 

He stepped back again and Albus turned to Severus.

"Who stands for this man?"

"I do," Minerva answered.

"What is the worth of this man?"

"His worth is beyond words. He is courageous and determined. He has a strong heart and a sharp mind. He fights the battles that no one else will and is fiercely protective of those he loves. His trust is not easily won, but once given his loyalty is boundless. I am honoured by his friendship."

After Minerva had stepped back into her place, Albus picked up the taper and waved his wand to light it. He handed it to Bella and she stepped forward and lit the white candle on the altar.

"I have chosen you above all others. I share with you my love and the light of the Goddess." 

The letters glowed brightly in the air as she mouthed the words, which sounded like a caress in her lovers' minds. She handed the taper to Remus who lit the red candle.

"I have chosen you above all others. I share with you my love and the light of the Goddess."

In turn he passed the taper to Severus who lit the black candle and the extinguished the taper before laying it on the altar.

"I have chosen you above all others. I share with you my love and the light of the Goddess."

Albus withdrew the silk ribbons from the chest on the altar.

"These ribbons symbolize the Triple Goddess in Her aspects of Maiden, Mother, and Wise One. White is the Maiden, the bringer of new life and new goals. Red is the Mother, the Creator of growth and sometimes changes. Black is the Wise One, the keeper of the cauldron, the one who ends all life and prepares for new beginnings. This is the pattern of all life-paths, that our lives begin new cycles, they grow, and then they either change to new beginnings or they die. Can you accept this?" 

"We can," the three of them answered.

He waved his wand again and softly chanted under his breath. The ribbons left his hands and floated towards Remus, Bella and Severus. They took each other's hands, forming a circle. The white ribbon wrapped itself around Remus and Severus' joined hands binding them together, the red ribbon joined Severus and Bella's hands and the black ribbon completed the circle by binding Bella and Remus.

Albus spoke again, "I do not have the authority to bind you to one another, only you have that power. I ask you[,] do you come here of your own free will?"

"We do," they answered, Severus and Remus' voices ringing out confidently.

"Do you wish to be bound one to the other for the rest of your lives?"

"We do."

"So shall it be." 

The ribbons untied themselves and floated back into the chest.  Albus picked up the knife and handed it to Bella and then caused the chalice of red wine to float in front of her. She pricked her finger with the knife.

"With this blood I ask the Gods to bless this union." She raised her hand and allowed a drop of blood to fall into the chalice.  "With this blood I bind my life to yours." 

She handed the knife to Remus and the chalice floated across until it was in front of him. He pricked his finger. "With this blood I ask the Gods to bless this union." He raised his hand a dripped blood into the chalice. "With this blood I bind my life to yours."

The knife was passed to Severus and again the chalice moved until it was floating before him. He slid the sharp blade across his index finger. "With this blood I ask the Gods to bless this union." He raised his hand and watched as a drop of blood fell into the wine. The chalice began to glow softly. "With this blood I bind my life to yours."

The three of them reached out and took hold of the goblet. Moving slowly they raised the chalice to allow them each to drink from it.

"I drink of our life together."

The chalice was returned to the altar and Albus signalled Megan to step forwards. She held out her hand upon which rested two rings made of bronze. Bella took one and slid it on to Remus' finger and then slid the other onto Severus' hand. Holding their left hands in both of hers she made her vow.

"Severus and Remus, I take you as my husbands. You are my once-in-a-lifetime, my miracle. May our lives intermingle and our love grow as we become one. You are all I could ever need in my life... my friends.... my lovers... my everything. I promise to be faithful to you, to love you, honour you, live with you, and cherish you."

She released their hands and it was Sirius' turn to step forward with two golden rings. Remus slipped them onto his lovers' fingers and repeated the same vow.

"Severus and Arabella, I take you as my husband and wife. You are my once-in-a-lifetime, my miracle. May our lives intermingle and our love grow as we become one. You are all I could ever need in my life... my friends.... my lovers... my everything. I promise to be faithful to you, to love you, honour you, live with you, and cherish you."

Now Minerva stepped forward and offered two silver-coloured rings. A couple of gasps could be heard from amongst the guests.

*Honestly, do they really believe I'd be so stupid as to use actual silver in a ceremony involving a werewolf? * Severus thought scornfully. Bella's laughter rang in his head and he could see Remus biting his lip in an effort to keep a straight face. He slipped the platinum rings on his lovers' hands and made his vow to them.

"Remus and Arabella, I take you as my husband and wife. You are my once-in-a-lifetime, my miracle. May our lives intermingle and our love grow as we become one. You are all I could ever need in my life... my friends.... my lovers... my everything. I promise to be faithful to you, to love you, honour you, live with you, and cherish you."

This time when he released their hands they left their left hands stretched out before them and he moved his to join them so that their fingertips were touching. Albus chanted another spell and there was a bright flash of light. The rings transformed so that each of them now wore one ring of two colours, closely entwined. Each felt a slight burn as the rings bound themselves to their wearers so that they could no longer be removed except by common consent.

Albus turned them to face south and Harry asked, "Will your love survive the harsh fires of change?"

"It will."

"Then accept the Blessing of the Element of Fire in this the place of Summer. May you be blessed with harmony, vitality, creativity, and passion."

Then they were turned to face east and it was Hermione's turn to question them, "Will your love survive the clear light of Day?"

"It will."

"Then accept the Blessing of the Element of Air in this the Place of Spring. May you be blessed with communication, intellectual growth, and wisdom."

Next they were turned to face the north and Rolanda spoke, "Will your love survive the times of stillness and restriction?"

"It will."

"Then accept the Blessing of the Element of Earth in this the place of Winter. May you be blessed with tenderness, happiness, compassion, and sensuality."

Finally they faced West and Filius' question. "Will your love survive the ebb and flow of feeling?"

"It will."

"Then accept the Blessing of the Element of Water in this the place of Autumn. May you be blessed with friendship, intuition, caring, understanding, and love."

They turned to face Albus again. He smiled benevolently at them. "All things in Nature are circular - night becomes day, day becomes night and night becomes day again. The moon waxes and wanes and waxes again. There is Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and then the Spring returns. These things are part of the Great Mysteries."

He picked up the knife again and cleaned it with a word. Gently he cut a lock of hair from Bella, Remus and Severus in turn and dropped them into the golden box. The intimacy of the mingling of their hair reflected the intermingling of their souls due to the marriage ritual. The three of them knelt and buried it at the foot of the altar.  Standing again they smiled at one another as Albus spoke the final blessing.

"Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are three persons, but there is only one life before you. May beauty surround you both in the journey ahead and through all the years, May happiness be your companion and your days together be good and long upon the earth." He paused dramatically and then continued. "I now declare these three united in marriage, a state which can only be broken by death and then only briefly until their souls should be united in the hereafter. Let the circle be broken."

The four representatives of the elements stepped out of the circle as he spoke the final words and the ceremony was over. Bella, Remus and Severus embraced and kissed one another before being pulled apart by their friends as they rushed to offer their congratulations.


End file.
